What if things were Different?
by Tockie16
Summary: This is a story about what would happen with Caroline and Dup's relationship if she had actually left with Gerald in series 2. Hope you like it!Don't know how many chapters there will be to this.Please R&R!It really means sooooo much to me!
1. Chapter 1: Leaving So Soon?

**This story is set in series two. I always wondered what would have happened with Caroline and DuPlessis if she had actually left with Gerald. So this is what I think should have happened if caroline had.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wild at Heart or any of the characters. I take no credit for either.**

**What If things were Different?**

Caroline slowly opened her sleep heavy eyes and pushed herself away from the mattress, to sit upright on her bed.

She felt that she had awoken with an all new sense of purpose that morning. This was something she had not felt in a long time, and the thought of it made her smile broadly.

She looked at her calendar and was happily surprised when she realised what today was. Today was the day when she and Gerald would leave Leopard's Den for good, and start a new life at Gerald's big house on the cape.

No longer would she have to worry about Meer cats coming into her room at night and chewing on all of her shoes.

No longer would she have to worry about getting dust in her hair and on her clothes.

No longer would she feel the strain and stress of working under the always staring eye of that loud, rebellious, tactless, reckless and barely house trained oaf, DuPlessis.

Finally she would be free of this place, and she would at last take control of her life. She was finally moving forward and not just going around in circles anymore.

Caroline dressed herself, and made her way to the kitchen where all the family were sitting having breakfast together. She would miss this particularly happy scene, but she knew what she wanted, and that was to leave as soon as possible.

Nomsa approached Caroline with a plate of food, and handed it to her smiling. Caroline gave her thanks and went to sit down, regrettably, at the end of the table where DuPlessis sat reading the paper, having already finished his breakfast.

When she sat down he glanced over to her, obviously enjoying her presence. He smiled warmly at her and then went back to his paper. "He's not all bad I suppose," mused Caroline as she began to tuck into her food.

"Morning everyone!" came a smooth and deep voice from the hallway. The family looked up to see Gerald entering the room with a large smile on his face. All returned the gesture in one murmuring voice.

All except DuPlessis, who refused to acknowledge the man's existence whatever the circumstance.

Gerald accepted gratefully his breakfast from Nomsa, who didn't seem all that keen on Gerald either, and came to sit down next to Caroline, who was far more pleased to see him than the rest of the Leopard's Den residents.

Caroline smiled a beautiful smile at Gerald, which made DuPlessis seethe with envy. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, and attempted to carry on reading his newspaper, with little success.

"So, what time do you think we should leave?" she asked innocently, unaware that Dup was scrunching his fist into a ball so hard, that it made his knuckles go white.

The family saw that this scene was not going to be one that they desired to witness, so all got up to leave and made excuses that they needed to go and do some work, leaving the love triangle participants at the table.

Gerald, who was fully aware of Dup's feelings towards the matter, tauntingly reached out, took Caroline's hands in his, and placed a kiss on both, slowly and deliberately. Dup was glaring loathingly at him knowing the full meaning of his actions.

It meant, "This woman is mine and you will never get the chance to do this, or in fact to see her ever again. Sorry old chap…Tough luck…Such a shame."

"We can go whenever you want my dear," he said gently, and smiled a charming smile at Caroline, and in return she kissed him gently on his cheek. Dup felt like his heart had been cut into with a painful and rusted knife, twisting inside until he could take no more.

"I want to leave now," said Caroline still completely unaware of Dup's feelings. Before he could stop himself Dup blurted out,

"So soon?" he immediately regretted saying this. Caroline turned to him and shot him a puzzled look. Dup tried to cover up his mistake and nervously said, "I just thought that you might have wanted to sort things out with the family before you left."

Caroline stared at him for a moment, trying to decipher if that's what he truly meant to say, or if he just said that to cover up want he really wanted to say.

Her staring made Dup catch his breath, and he went slightly red. Finally she turned away from him, rose from her seat and said, "I've already sorted out things with the family that needed sorting Anders, so I don't think you need to worry about that. Thank you for asking anyway," she smiled sweetly at him, thanking him for his concern.

Anders looked her straight in her captivating eyes, and smiled boyishly and warmly back at her, his heart rate increasing as he gazed at her. With that she turned and went to finish off the rest of her packing, leaving the two men at the table scowling at each other in a mutual hatred.

"That was a cheap shot man!" growled Anders in a hushed voice so that no one heard him except Gerald.

"I'm sure I have no idea what you mean DuPlessis," he said with an innocent yet smug smile on his face, which made Anders just want to smash his face in with his fist.

"You know perfectly well what I mean you disgusting snake!" Anders barked back.

"There's no need for that…And anyway why should you care so much? Sure, I know you like her and all, but she's completely put of your league," he stated with a coldness, laced in his normally so smooth voice.

"You've only taken a stupid little fancy to her Gerald, You know that I feel so much more for that woman that just a slight 'fancy,'" Anders' anger was building up so much inside of him that he thought he might explode.

"Oh my God DuPlessis…You _love_ her!" said Gerald, very surprised and delighted to hear this. DuPlessis _loved_ Caroline, but Gerald was the one who had won her over. Yes, he was indeed _very_ satisfied with this.

"Of course I love her, surely it's obvious that I do," Anders rolled his eyes angrily and irritably at Gerald.

"Well, yes of course. She has beautifully captivating eyes, a radiant smile, a gorgeous and slender figure, and she's all mine DuPlessis. Gosh, I really am a lucky man to have found such a woman to be with," said Gerald, deliberately making Anders even more jealous and angry by the second.

Anders stood up abruptly as if he had been scolded by the painful and tormenting words that Gerald had used to wound him with, his fury clearly etched in his features.

Gerald rose slowly from his own chair, obviously proud of the reaction he had produced, and turned and walked away from Anders. Leaving him steaming in his own pool of hatred and jealousy.

Anders slammed his fists on the wooden table, slumped down into his chair and rested his head on the cool surface of the wood, feeling as though he was going to pass out from the intensity of his anger, running through his veins, scorching every fibre of his body.

He lifted his head, and rested his chin on his forearms, hot tears flowing silently down his face, his eyes tightly shut. He was slipping into despair. He couldn't lose Caroline. He just couldn't.

He loved her far to much to be able to let her go and not be forever wounded and taunted by the memory of her, and how he had lost her to someone else who didn't even have any real or true feelings for her. His arms ached so much to hold her, and the pain he felt was indescribable.

Caroline peered into the kitchen and saw Anders in this horrid state, a pang of guilt and sadness gripped her heart, making her want to embrace him and cry herself. She had heard everything.

She had, had no idea that Anders loved her. She knew that he had feelings for her, but none as strong as love she had thought.

She felt so guilty for getting him into this situation, but she knew she couldn't have prevented it. She had never been, really, that friendly with him, but that hadn't stopped Anders falling head over heals in love with her.

Sadly, even though she knew about his feelings for her, Caroline still left with Gerald. She had to leave. She didn't belong there, and she couldn't stay just because of Anders. She was unhappy here, and she knew she would cause Anders pain anyway, because she didn't have feelings for him.

She embraced Anders when she left and kissed him gently on his cheek, making him forget to breathe.

Then she was gone…Anders would never be the same again, he had met Caroline and fallen in love with her. He was not going to get over her easily; in fact he knew that he would never get over her.

The wound she left in his heart was still so fresh, and it was a wound that only she could heal.

Anders was a broken shell of a man, he felt so empty and cold without her.

But was this the end?....


	2. Chapter 2: Four Months Later

**Four months later **

Four months he had gone without her.

Had only that short amount of time really gone by? It had seemed like four years to Anders.

For four months he had emptied every bottle of alcohol he could find, just to try and live a few precious moments with her, in his drunken and dazed state. For four months he had been confined completely to his room, only coming out to give Danny a hand with the animals, and spending occasionally some time with Evan in the bush.

For four months he had tried to get over her without any success.

Her name had become a taboo word, and no one ever dared to mention her in front of him.

The family had noticed how much thinner he had become. He had been refusing a lot of his meals, and had lost at least two stone in weight. They were terrified that he would become really ill, but none more so than Evan.

He was very scared for his best friend, and basically third father.

He didn't like to see him in this state, and he had tried hard to make him forget about his troubles, just for a moment, so that he could have his best friend back, even if it was only for a second.

Danny had tried talking to Anders, but it never changed anything. Anders was a broken man, one who seemed near impossible to mend.

Danny had even tried to be rough with him, and had shouted at him, just to try and snap Anders out of it. It didn't work.

However, Danny tried a different angle today. He needed to go up to Johannesburg to get some animal vaccine supplies, and he wanted to try and persuade Dup to come with him. He had conveniently lost the number he needed to order them with.

"Dup?" called Danny from outside of Anders' room, knocking lightly on the door.

"What!?" came Anders' gruff and irritated answer.

"I need to talk to you, about something important,"

"Well can't it wait?"

"No it can't Dup, it's really important." persuaded Danny, leaning on the door to try and listen out for any sign of movement.

Anders let out a great big groan of annoyance; pulled himself off the bed he had been lying on for the past few months, and made to open the door.

Danny was very taken aback with the scene that presented itself before him.

Anders looked, for the first time ever, very pale and practically lifeless. It was so strange and unnerving to see him like this.

Anders had always been the life and soul of Leopard's Den. The one who always had a youthful, and mischievous glint, shimmering in his striking coral blue eyes.

He had such a wild and fun personality, and a wicked sense of humour. There was no one in the world like him. To see him so…so…empty and emotionless was a huge shock. It wasn't Anders, it just couldn't be. Anders had gone and this shadow of a man had replaced him.

Danny got over this shock, however, and placed a convincing smile on his face.

"I need you to come with me to Jo-burg, help me bring back some vaccine supplies. I've completely lost their number so we're just gonna have to go up there and get them ourselves. We'll spend a couple of days there until they get the vaccines in stock and afterwards we can head back home."

Danny had spent at least half an hour reciting this before he actually came to Anders. He had wanted to sound persuasive. He was concerned so much for his friend, and he wanted him to do this for his own good.

Anders was leaning with his hands on either side of the door frame, trying to support himself. He considered Danny's proposal for a minute and said,

"Why can't Rosie go with you?" he queried, trying to sneak his way out of this. He had barely ever left his room, let alone travel long hours to Jo-burg. He was physically and mentally very, very weak.

Danny had suspected that he'd try to get out of it, so he laid out his full proof argument, "Rosie can't come because I need her to look after the animals while I'm gone, and besides it'll be good for us to get out of this house for a while, have a bit of an adventure. We're worried about you Dup…All of us. You need to start taking some action otherwise you are gonna make yourself really ill, and you know it."

Anders sighed deeply. He knew Danny was right; he shouldn't keep doing this to himself. It wasn't going to change anything anyway; she wouldn't come back to him. He looked at Danny, seeing that he wasn't going to back down, and finally he gave in.

"Alright, alright I'll go. But, only if we can have some fun by taking the piss out of some of those, rich, pretty and pampered city kids." He said cheekily, pointing his finger at Danny.

"I promise," said Danny as he placed his hand over his heart, as if it was some solemn vow he was making. He hadn't seen Anders smile for a long time, and to see his friend have that familiar glint in his eye, caused a wave of relief to wash over him.

Danny left Anders packing in his room, and strolled out to the veranda where Sarah stood, anticipating Danny's results. Sarah looked at him in a way that said, "Well?"

Danny smiled broadly, raised his hands and said, "There's life in the old boy yet," Sarah let out a puff of laughter, relieved that Anders was finally, however slowly, starting to move on.

The moment Danny had said the latter; Anders suddenly called out from inside the house, yelling, "Hey! Less of the bloody 'old' ok?!"

Danny and Sarah burst out laughing, and Danny stated proudly, "He's back."

Anders was going to be, eventually, alright. He hadn't gotten over Caroline at all, but this was at least a start.

Both Danny and Anders left for Jo-burg the next day…


	3. Chapter 3: Musing

Caroline was lying on a sun bed in the garden of Gerald's large house on the cape, trying to determine how she felt about her situation now.

She had been away from Leopard's Den and her family for four months and she didn't really know how she felt about this. She missed them all terribly, that was for certain.

She found herself sometimes wondering if she had made the right decision; her mind would tell her that she had. That she didn't belong in bush: that she wasn't cut out for doing hard labour, for working with animals. But her heart would argue that maybe it wasn't.

Secretly, although she had no idea why, her thoughts had been straying back to _Him_. She had been thinking about the conversation she had overheard, between Gerald and Anders. How she had found out Anders' true feelings for her. She didn't really know what she thought or felt about Anders' feelings for her.

She had found herself thinking about him very often, wondering if he did still love her or if he had come to loathe her because she had left him. They had never been a couple, they hadn't even really been very close, but somehow she still felt so guilty and upset that she had left while he was in that state.

She found herself hoping that she would see him again someday, even if it was just for a little while.

Caroline had realised that she actually missed Anders quite a lot. She missed him always being there, just in the background. She missed his wild personality, his adorable accent, his golden hearted nature, and his stunning eyes.

She missed the times when they would bicker with each other, over stupid things, that weren't important in the slightest. She missed the times when she had caught him staring at her, and he would suddenly look away and blush. She missed…everything.

Gerald was normally very lovely to her, and they were to be married in a couple of months. She was pretty sure that he loved her, and she assumed that she must feel the same way.

But in all honesty, when she looked back on it now, the idea and fantasy of the grand house on the cape was more exciting and more mystical than the reality.

It wasn't the house itself that was the problem, the house was wonderful, it was just that it didn't really have that familiar warm, exciting spark and feel about it.

It didn't have the exhilaration of not knowing what was going to happen with your life next, that Leopard's Den had.

It didn't have character or a certain charm about its scruffiness. In fact, it wasn't scruffy at all, it didn't have any faults, and that was what annoyed Caroline.

She realised that she liked houses as she liked people, with faults that gave them character.

The house was like Leopard's Den in the sense that it was very isolated and quiet. But at Leopard's Den there was always something going on. There were always wild animals roaming about the land, filling the place with life and wonder.

Gerald's house had a quiet about it that was almost an uncomfortable and encroaching silence. Leopard's Den had always been quite tranquil and it possessed a certain peacefulness.

Caroline had been to the near by city and found it to be somewhat suffocating and not very pleasant.

Whereas Johannesburg had been a lovely place when she had went on occasions with Sarah, the people were welcoming, and the things she saw there were enough to fill you with an unrelenting excitement.

Bottom line, Caroline was feeling a little bored.

------------------------

"Gerald?" called Caroline.

"Yes?" answered Gerald.

"I feel like going out and doing something for a few days, I feel like we've been cooped up in this house for too long and I think we need a change in scenery." She persuaded, trying not to sound like she had, had enough of the house for a while.

Gerald considered her for a while and then said, "Alright. What did you have in mind?" he queried.

"Well…I know this sounds a little farfetched, but I thought that we could spend a couple of days in Johannesburg?"

"Johannesburg?!" he asked a little taken aback. "But it's miles away," he argued

"No Caroline, that's completely out of the question, I'm sorry but no," he stated firmly.

Caroline felt a little irritated at this, he sounded just like her ex-husband.

"Please Gerald. I really miss it, and it would only be for a few days. I'm sure we would both really enjoy ourselves there," she pleaded, trying to sound convincing.

Gerald paused for a minute; he looked up at Caroline and saw that she had her heart set on this.

"Just do what she wants, then hopefully she'll get off your back about it," Gerald thought to himself.

He smiled at Caroline and said, "Alright love, we'll go, but only for four days at the most ok?" he said as he raised his hand to stress the latter.

"Thank you Gerald, it means a lot to me," said Caroline smiling, and with that she turned to go back out into the garden, and unconsciously, she began again to think of Anders.

"I wouldn't be able to stop myself if I saw him." Caroline's heart whispered…

**Please R&R!**

**More chapters to come!**


	4. Chapter 4: Just a Glimpse

Anders was waiting outside the Johannesburg animal vaccine supply clinic. Waiting for Danny to come back out, after placing his order for the vaccines he needed.

Anders was looking far better than he had before he came out to Jo-burg. He was still much thinner, but he looked healthy. It wasn't obvious anymore that he had lost a considerable amount of weight refusing meals.

Anders had started to move on with his life. It was painful, and it was going to take a lot of time, but he was moving forward nonetheless.

But, no matter how hard he tried; Caroline still invaded his thoughts, every second, of every minute of his life. He felt as if he was on autopilot all the time. His body would do as it was commanded, and it would respond to people as if he were fully aware of what was going on. But it was always Caroline that he was thinking of.

More often than not he his mind would play tricks on him. Every female voice that he heard sounded like Caroline's, every blonde haired girl was her, and every gentle laugh was hers. He was sure that he was going insane.

Even now he had just caught a glimpse of a woman who he thought looked exactly like her. Turning to look at the man in front of her, who looked remarkably like that poisonous snake, Gerald.

Wait a second…No…It couldn't be…It was just his mind playing tricks on him again…Wasn't it?

No, this is mad…It can't be her…It just can't be…She's miles away… it's not her…surely it's not her…His mind was so vulnerable at the moment, he just couldn't cope with seeing her again.

Anders stood up abruptly from the bench he had been sitting on, just moments ago bathing in the glorious sunshine, his anxieties vanishing.

His heart was skipping beats. Had he really just seen her? She wasn't there now.

No… it had just been wishful thinking.

Anders let out a disappointed sigh, and returned to the bench. Moments later Danny re-emerged from the supply clinic. He approached Anders, who had a look of utter confusion on his face, and he was lost in deep thought.

Danny placed a hand on his old friend's shoulder, which made Anders' whole body jump.

"Bloody hell man! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" laughed Anders, as he stood up from the bench.

"You alright Dup? You looked like something was troubling you. Is everything ok?" queried Danny with a look of total concern on his face. He could always tell when something was wrong with his best mate.

Anders, however, just let out a puff of laughter. Danny had always reminded Anders of a younger version of himself. A very passionate person, who regarded his friends and family, as the most important things in his life. Someone who was always completely, and utterly concerned if something was troubling the ones that he cared about.

"Nothing's troubling me, it's just my vulnerable mind playing tricks on me again," explained Anders, trying to make light of it.

"What do you mean?" asked Danny, convinced that Anders wasn't completely telling him the truth. Something had happened, and Anders was trying to hide it.

"Really it's nothing Danny," said Anders as he raised his hands, trying to sound honest. Danny wasn't buying it.

"Dup…tell me. What happened?" Danny insisted, refusing to let Anders get out of this.

"Nothing happened Danny," Anders said getting irritated, "All that _happened_ was that I thought that I might have just seen Caroline with Gerald, but that would be impossible. She's miles away. And…I just wish that I could stop this Danny. I hate it when my mind plays tricks on me. It's not fair. I love Caroline, and trying to get over her is one of the hardest things that I've ever had to do!" Anders sounded desperate. He was sitting down on the bench again. His head in his hands, fighting to hold back hot tears, which were forming in his striking coral blues for what seemed the millionth time since Caroline had left.

Danny could see that his friend was really struggling with his feelings for Caroline. He didn't know what to do or say. He couldn't tell him that he would get over her, and that he'd find someone else, because in all honesty Anders would probably never find anyone else.

At this stage in Anders' life love wasn't likely to come along. That's why it had been such a shock to Anders' system when Caroline had turned up out of nowhere, thrusting an arrow straight through his heart when she revealed those big, beautiful, ocean blue eyes of hers.

Danny gripped Anders' shoulder, attempting to comfort his best friend in some way. Anders stood up again, turned to Danny, placed his hand on his shoulder and said, "Thank you my friend," he smiled at Danny warmly.

"No problem Dup, Come on, lets take the piss out of the rich, city kids," said Danny with a wide grin spread across his face. "Ha! Thought you'd never ask!" laughed Anders.

"I wonder if it really was just my imagination," thought Anders, as he and Danny fought their way into the jungle of people in the city centre…

**I know this one is short but please R&R! It takes so little and it really means so much to me! Thanks!**


	5. Chapter 5: Exhileration and Urgency

The roar of a thousand voices echoing throughout the city. The stampede of people pounding at the ground, producing an earthquake beneath your feet. The heartbeat of city keeping in rhythm with the wild African drumming being played in the square.

Caroline had missed the excitement and the sense of life that the city possessed. She had missed watching people go about their lives, wondering what stories, wondrous knowledge and secrets they held close.

Caroline felt like a child, learning for the first time the wonders and mysteriousness that the world presented her with. What common, yet nonetheless extraordinary, events and miracles which were laid down before her.

Discovering for what seemed like the first time in far too long, the sensations of the spicy scents as she wandered through the market place, the phenomenal feats of the African drummers as they played the instruments with pure passion.

She and Gerald were caught up in a large crowd of people in the city centre, the former enjoying the commotion far more than the latter.

Everything and everyone in the crowd was a colourful, loud, and beautiful blur.

Until suddenly, Caroline's eyes fixed on a single still figure, whose outline and form was unmistakeable.

She knew that tatted old hat and that figure anywhere. But surely this wasn't real…It couldn't be just a huge coincidence…Could it?

Her heart was skipping beats. She stood still, unable to move. Gerald had managed to pull himself out of the crowd and was attempting to look over the heads in the crowd for Caroline, but he couldn't see her amongst the vast herd of people.

Caroline had completely forgotten that Gerald existed for that moment. Because she was staring at the man, who was only twenty feet away from her. Her heart was fluttering in her chest. Her mind was telling her to back away and hide, but her heart was telling her that his was right, that she should go to him.

Suddenly he turned his head and looked straight at her. His features clearly showed his shock and disbelief.

Caroline couldn't shake that sudden feeling of exhilaration when he looked at her with those heart stopping coral blues. He looked as though he was barely able to breathe or speak. His eyes glittered with his shyness and his love, and Caroline felt as though they were the only two people in existence.

He moved closer to her, trying to reach her in the crowd. He stopped as they stood face to face, just gazing at each other. Neither knew what to say or to think. They were just lost in this moment together.

Caroline tried to speak first, "H-Hi," The words were so difficult to produce, as her shock had not yet worn off.

"H-Hello," he replied, seemingly finding it just as difficult as her.

Anders wanted to ask her so many questions, but he didn't know how to begin, all he could say was, "How?" his expression was questioning and confused.

"Oh!…um…Gerald and I were…um…we just decided to spend a few days in Johannesburg. You know, just to get out of the house for a while," explained Caroline, never dropping her gaze from his.

Anders flinched at the mention of Gerald, his anger and jealousy building up again. It felt hot and it scorched his insides; it crept through every inch of him, until all of him was filled with this smouldering flame of hatred. He consealed it from her however, and eventually controlled it.

"So…um…how've you been? Are you and _Him _happy?" he queried; the latter was said quite vehemently. Caroline didn't miss this.

"I've been alright…And I suppose we are happy, yes." What she was going to say next, she knew would really hurt him deeply, but she couldn't lie to him…She couldn't keep it from him.

"Actually, Gerald proposed to me about a month ago…We're to be married in a few months."

Anders heart felt that rusted knife twist inside, and it wounded his heart deeper than ever before. She was going to marry _HIM_! This couldn't be happening…He refused to believe it…But it _was_ happening…Caroline, _His _Caroline, was going to be the wife of that disgusting snake, that evil, horrid, venomous, retched and shameless man.

Anders couldn't stop himself, he had lost Caroline once; he would not lose her again. The words burst from him like a wild animal thrusting itself against a cage wall, hitting it so hard until it was free.

"Caroline you can't marry him! He's not right for you…He doesn't deserve you."

Caroline was shocked by this response, she had expected him to be upset, but she hadn't expected him to say _that_.

"What do you mean he's not right for me? If he isn't then who is?!" she answered, feeling confused and overwhelmed by all of this.

"I…I don't know, but I do know that it's not him!" Anders was desperately trying to make her see Gerald for what he truly was. He couldn't let her go forever. He wasn't strong enough. His heart wouldn't be able to cope, and he was certain that it would be the end of him. He took a deep breath and continued,

"Caroline, listen…You may think now that he's right for you, and that he's going to make you really happy, but if you gave it a few years you would see how wrong for you he really is. He always thinks that he is superior to everyone else, he only thinks about himself and he doesn't really care about you or your feelings, and I know he doesn't."

"Oh? And how do you know that I don't love Caroline?" Anders knew that voice only too well; his burning hatred filled him once again, and bubbled furiously inside…

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**What will happen between Anders and Gerald in the next chapter?! If you kindly R&R, you'll find out!**

**I'm not trying to seem cruel I just really, really want your opinions on my chapters! Any constructive criticism will be appreciated as well! Thanks so much! :) **


	6. Chapter 6: Turning Point

Anders slowly turned to source of the slick and smooth voice, which he was certain was the only one that could produce such anger in him. The crowd had died down which had made him much more visible.

"I know that you don't love her, Gerald, because you admitted it to me yourself that you didn't. Just those four months ago." Anders' voice was quiet and controlled, yet laced with loathing of this foul creature.

"How do you know that my feelings haven't changed since then?" replied Gerald with that infuriating, innocent yet smug smile, breaking across his face yet again.

"Because I've seen your type before, easy charmer, smooth talker, unable to feel any proper feeling of love, never able to make a commitment last, and hurting the ones closest to you in the process."

Anders was clenching both his fists, and jaw. Caroline had never seen him dislike someone so much. She was so confused, she had no idea what she felt, or who indeed she felt for.

"Well DuPlessis, I can see clearly that you are still head over heals in love with _my_ Caroline. You must know how much this pleases me. Because it makes my victory of her that much sweeter, and much more impressive. I have Caroline, and she will be mine forever once we are married." Gerald could see how angry and deeply wounded Anders was, but he wasn't finished with him yet.

"Tough luck Dup, but it might reconcile you to know that Caroline and I are very happy together, and that if you had been a better man altogether. That is, in looks, personality and behaviour, then you might have been able to hold on to the woman you love. But you weren't able to, were you? Oh well, she's mine now, and I think it is safe to say that I will make her much happier than you ever could, because I am ten times the man you could ever be."

Anders couldn't restrain himself any longer. That had pushed him over the edge.

He suddenly lashed out at Gerald, and pinned him to the wall, pummelling Gerald and making him yell out in intense pain, unable to stop.

All that rage that he had built up inside of him was coming out for the first time and it was long over due. He wasn't fighting for himself, he was fighting for _Her._

This had been a long time coming, and he was going to make Gerald suffer the same amount of pain that Anders had suffered for so long. The pain of knowing that the woman he loved would never love him back, and was with a man who didn't love her and didn't care about her.

Anders punched Gerald at every inch he could hit, stomach, shoulder, ribs, chest, anywhere. He was far stronger and a more experienced fighter than Gerald, so beating him up was relatively easy.

But Gerald then threw a few punches himself; knocking Anders off his feet, but Anders bounced back almost immediately.

Another crowd had gathered, mostly men, to watch and yell encouragement at both men. You could feel the excitement of the crowd radiating from them as they chanted,

"Fight, Fight, Fight!"

Suddenly Caroline yelled, "Both of you STOP!" Her voiced was laced with emotion and desperation. At hearing this Anders immediately let go of Gerald, a moment ago about to punch him again, and turned to Caroline, a look of concern etched on his features.

Gerald, however, did not stop. He grabbed a metal post that had been wedged into the ground as part of a railing, and with his deep hate making him become almost insane, he ran at Anders with it, using it to strike him, full on, with a blow on the back of his head. Smack!

Anders fell to the ground on his hands and knees, his eyes rolling for a second. He shook it off however and attempted to turn and face Gerald. But when he did, Anders took another blow from the metal post across his face, making his face bruise, and his forehead bleed flowingly.

Caroline gasped and her hand flew up to her mouth in shock, her eyes wide and frightened. She ran forward and tried to stop Gerald, who was about to strike Anders yet again, his madness evident in his wild eyes. But as she tried to stop him, Gerald fought against her and pushed her aside forcefully, making her fall and injure her shoulder.

That was it. That had done it. That was going_ way_ too far.

Anders, with all the strength he could muster, pulled himself up to his full height, faced Gerald, and struck him with all his might. Gerald fell to the floor unconscious and bleeding. Fully and finally receiving what he deserved.

Anders stood there looking down at the pathetic man for a few moments, and then ran over to Caroline and knelt down beside her, terrified that she had been hurt badly.

"Caroline? Are you alright?!" he asked, sounding scared.

-----------------------------------

Caroline pushed herself up from the ground and sat upright. She looked at the scene that surrounded her.

Gerald was sitting upright, having regained consciousness, not even looking at Caroline to see if she was ok. He didn't seem to care if he had hurt her or not.

Then Caroline looked up at the man kneeling beside her, holding her hand gently and staring at her with terrified yet adoring eyes.

How could she have been so blind? She had been so focused on getting away from Leopard's Den, and on convincing herself that she hated and was constantly annoyed by DuPlessis, that she didn't fully allow herself to look beyond her trivial prejudice of him, and see him for what he truly was. She hadn't even done that with Gerald and she had agreed to _marry_ him.

Suddenly it dawned on her. She had never actually _hated _Anders at all in the first place. Sure, he could be annoying, and there were times when you actually did loathe him. But she had always admired him and respected him for who he was.

And more often than not she had found herself being furiously angry with him to his face, for something he had said or done, and then going to her room and laughing with utter joy and amusement as she reflected on it again.

Had she mistaken something else for hate? Was it possible that she actually…no…it couldn't be _that_. She knew _he_ feltthat for her, and she wasn't going to assume that she should feel the same way just because he felt it. Not again.

But she did feel something. Something that was strong, intense, and burning. But it was far from hate. If it wasn't hate, then she must be…there was no other explanation, and certainly no other way she could interpret her feelings to be anything else…than her having fallen in love with Anders, and being in love with him the entire time without realising it.

How had she been so blind? Of course she loved him. She always had. How could she have not noticed it before? He had always been around her everyday, never demanding anything from her, never forcing her into anything.

He had just waited patiently by her side, just as he was now, encouraging her ever so gently to respond to him in any way that would give him hope that she had come to her senses. He had always been there and he had been a small part of her life, but she realised when she was deprived of him, the effects on her were astronomical.

---------------------

"Caroline? Are you ok?" Said Anders again, still holding her hand, as he tried to gently coax her out of her thoughts, and back to reality, back to her senses. He was scared that she might have a concussion. She had not spoken a word to him yet. It had only been a few seconds, but she hadn't responded to him when he asked her if she was alright, the first time.

Caroline looked up at him again, his voice had broken into her thoughts. She stared for a few moments at his bleeding and bruised, but nevertheless adorable and lovely face, with those familiar, warm and intense, coral blue eyes.

"Never better," she smiled at him as her hand crept up to cradle his cheek. Anders hitched his breath at the feel of her gentle hand against his injured face. He smiled shyly at her and placed his hand over hers. Caroline hitched her breath now. This confirmed her feelings, and she felt overwhelmed with happiness. She wanted to say so much to him, she wanted to apologise, to make right all the wrongs she had caused.

"Anders I'm so sorry…I can't believe how blind I was. You were right about Gerald…about everything. I want to say so much to you right now, I just don't know how to say it," She said with emotion becoming laced in her voice.

"You don't have to say anything," he said reassuringly. "You made a mistake…I'm just relieved that you realised the mistake you had made before it was too late."

Caroline just started at him. Why wasn't he blaming her or getting angry with her? "How can you dismiss me from all blame when I was the one that caused you such agony? I was the one that left you. I broke your heart again and again. And yet…you don't see me as the one who was hurting you." Caroline actually wanted him to be angry with her. "I don't deserve you after what I did to you."

Anders just smiled at her and placed a kiss on her forehead, which made her forget to breath.

"Caroline, I don't blame you, because you weren't the one who did this to me. Gerald did this. He took you away from me; he made damn sure I knew that he didn't really care about you, and that I would never see you again. He forced all of this on you, and he lied to you to get you to do what he wanted. All you ever did was let me fall head over heals in love with you. You don't think you deserve me? It's me who thinks that I don't deserve a woman like you. Well…Gerald thinks that too…And some other people, but since when have I ever listened to anyone who tried to separate me from you, and tell me that I'm not good enough for you? Never… Not even if it is myself."

Caroline laughed at the latter, the first genuine laugh she had produced in months. He had always had that gift to make people laugh even in the toughest of situations. Most of the time he didn't even try to be funny and you would just burst out laughing at something he said. It was just him and his bizarre, vibrant, and heart meltingly adorable personality. That was one of the main aspects that was attractive about him, one that had caused Caroline to fall in love.

Caroline sighed and said, "I missed you so much Anders. I thought about you all the time when I was with Gerald. I didn't know why I did then, but now I realise how simple the answer was. It had been there the whole time just staring me in the face and I didn't recognise it before."

Anders looked confused, "What do you mean? What's the answer?" he queried tilting his head to the side, which resembled strongly a confused puppy. Caroline laughed, as her hand reached around his neck, pulling him closer to her, and when she was kissing him she heard him take a sharp intake of breath.

Anders felt like electricity was flowing through his veins making him respond to her, and causing him to fall even deeper in love with her. He had never felt anything so exhilarating.

When Caroline drew back she cupped Anders' face in her hands and said, "The answer is…I love you Anders." Tears of happiness began to fall from her eyes as relief and love glistened in his. He had been waiting so long, and had suffered so much, just to hear her say those words that made all that pain disappear completely.

Anders reached out, and with his thumb, he lightly wiped away a tear from her cheek, and said gently, "I love you too."

Caroline flashed a radiant smile at him, and accepted his hand, as he helped her up from the ground. Just as they got up Gerald jumped up suddenly, and tried to get at Anders and start another fight, but just as he did this, a fist came out of nowhere and struck Gerald to the ground again. Gerald looked for his attacker and saw Danny standing there, looking rather proud of himself.

Anders laughed and called out, "You look pretty pleased with yourself Trevanion!" Danny turned to him and stated, "Couldn't let you have all the fun, besides I hated the git too." Both men burst out laughing as the crowd cheered and gave a round of applause, as if they had just seen a very amusing and drama filled play.

After a couple of overly dramatised bows, Danny turned to the newly formed couple and said, "Let's go home,"

As the crowd began to disperse, and the three family members began to leave, Caroline suddenly blurted out, "Oh wait! I almost forgot."

She released Anders' hand, with which hers hand been entwined with refusing to let go of him ever again, and ran back to where Gerald was still standing, utterly defeated.

"You can have this back!" She stated defiantly, as she pulled a ring off her finger and shoved into his hand. "Oh and by the way, Anders is a million times the man you could ever even dream to be."

And with that she drew back her arm, clenched her fist, and punched Gerald straight on the nose, making him fall backwards. A few crowd members were still there and had seen this wonderful spectacle, and cheered louder than ever before. Their fists raised in the air.

Caroline turned back to Anders and Danny, who eyes were wide with shock, mouths agape. Caroline smiled broadly and took Anders' hand again and pulled him in the direction of home. Anders, still in shock said, "That was bloody brilliant," He let out a puff of laughter as he said, "I love you,"

Caroline turned to him and laughed gently as she said, "I love you too, and I have to tell you that punch felt liberating. Perhaps I should do it more often" she smiled coyly at him.

Anders laughed nervously and said jokingly, "Ok, but punch Danny… not me. My face is too handsome to ruin, Danny's is already ruined,"

Caroline burst out laughing, and she laughed even harder when Danny defensively shouted, "Hey!"

Right then Caroline knew that she would be happy and laughing for the rest of her life, just as long as she had Anders. She wasn't going to mess this up again, she loved Anders, and he loved her. And that was all that mattered now.

But still she wondered, would they have been together, and acknowledged their feelings sooner, if things had been different?

**END!!**

**Pretty please R&R! **


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